1 What is CA-19-9?

This is a special type of glycoproteins with a high molecular weight. It is a modified form of Levis antigen. Normally, there are healthy cells of the pancreas, stomach, gall bladder, and lung tissue. Glycoprotein CA 19 9 is produced by cancerous cells in the pancreas and much less often in the stomach.

Study of the concentration of this substance is extremely important in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Thus, a noticeable increase in the concentration of the marker is found in almost half of patients with suspected carcinoma. The level of CA 19 9 may vary depending on the stage of the cancer.

If CA 19 9 increases after surgery for the removal of pancreatic cancer, this may indicate a relapse or the appearance of metastases. And if a benign tumor grows in the body, then the increase in the number of the marker is much less frequent.

Antigen is not highly specific. Not recommended for screening.

2 Why do I need a test?

Although the oncomarker is an indicator of the presence of pancreatic carcinoma in the body, it still does not show the presence of the disease in the early stages. So such a study is preferably carried out to monitor the efficacy of anti-cancer treatment.

It is worth remembering that the marker CA 19 9 is excreted from the body primarily with bile. So if a person has a secretion and an outflow of bile, this immediately affects his blood content.

To determine a person's presence of dangerous diseases, it is necessary to do an analysis on this marker. Refuse such a survey is not necessary.

Pancreatic quantity monitoring should be done for such indications:

• pre-clinical examination;
• determination of the course of the disease of the pancreas and other gastrointestinal organs;
• Patient monitoring to exclude possible recurrence of stomach cancer;
• tumor states of the large intestine;
• hepatitis;
• formation of gallstones;
• cirrhosis;
• cystic fibrosis;
• inflammatory pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.

3 Changes in the concentration of the

marker. If the patient exhibits a CA concentration of 19 9 to 500 units per milliliter, then with 50% probability he can be diagnosed with pathologies that are not associated with a malignant process:

• cholecystitis;
• cirrhosis;
• Hepatitis( acute, toxic or chronic,
• gallstones.

If the patient has the amount of sucha marker of more than 500 units per ml of blood, then it can have such pathologies:

• cancers of female genital organs - uterus, ovary - in 70% of cases;
• breast cancer( 70% of cases);
• cancer of the liver, sigmoid colon, stomach, gallbladder - in 90% of cases;
• pancreatic cancer - always.

Note that innorm in the cells of the pancreas, gall bladder, liver, lungs in the blood, the allowable amount of such an oncomarker is from 10 to 37 units per ml of blood Pancreatic markers in increased quantity always indicate a malignant pathology

4 Other indices

Low values ​​of such antigen( its referenceindices - from 0 to 34 units per ml) indicate that a person is healthy and has a low risk of developing a tumor. However, if the patient has a normal marker concentration, this does not mean that he does not have a malignant process. It happens when it has already started, and the marker level has not yet risen.

In any case, a person should remember that the higher the amount of Ca 19 9 antigen, the later the stage of the oncological disease. The highest amounts of such a marker are in the case of metastasis.

You should also pay attention to such comments:

1. The oncomarker under consideration is of crucial importance for determining early metastasis.
2. Approximately one in ten does not have a gene capable of encoding the Ca 19 9 antigen. Thus, they can not detect a marker. And even if there is a pronounced oncological process, an analysis on such a marker will show that everything is in order. That's why after such a blood test the doctor prescribes additional tests confirming or excluding the presence of a malignant pancreatic process.

In some representatives of Caucasian nationalities, such a marker is not produced by the body at all, even if there is a malignant process.

The accuracy of the analysis in terms of diagnostics is significantly increased with the simultaneous analysis of CEA, CA 242, CA 72-4 and the total bilirubin.

5 Cancer marker for colon cancer and liver disease

Test application:

• is indicated for differential carcinoma diagnosis( when, for example, it is necessary to distinguish colon cancer from other cancers);
• helps to track the body's response to ongoing therapy;
• helps to identify relapses and metastases in the large intestine.

To date, there are not enough clinical data to use this cancer marker to determine whether the patient has a colon cancer. In all these cases, the CA 19 9 test is shown as an additional diagnostic measure.

This analysis is often used for differential diagnosis of liver and bile duct diseases. It allows to differentiate cancers and metastases in the pancreas with similar formations in the liver, bile duct, bile duct, etc.

The high diagnostic value of this test is explained, first of all, by the fact that this cancer marker is released in large quantities with bile. And if the body violates the conditions of the outflow of bile, then in the blood immediately significantly increases the indicators of the marker.

To increase the diagnostic accuracy of the CA 19 19 assay, the patient is additionally assigned a biochemical analysis for gamma-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase. Determination of their activity makes it possible to judge the presence of severe liver pathologies in the patient, including malignant ones.

6 How do they test?

For this test, blood from the vein is needed. It is taken from the patient in the usual way. Medical personnel monitor the implementation of all precautions in this test. The patient must not experience nervous overloads, heavy physical work, smoking, etc. before taking blood.

Preparation for taking blood from the vein is standard. Several hours before the procedure, you must refuse to eat. In addition, blood sampling is carried out on condition that medication is stopped. If this can not be done, the patient must necessarily warn the doctor about it.

The day before taking blood from the vein, the patient should prepare and follow a special diet. It is necessary to limit, and even better, to exclude from the diet fried, fatty, smoked. Naturally, you need to completely remove any form of alcohol.

7 Additional studies of

The assay for marker CA 19 9, as well as for other cancer markers, does not give 100% accuracy. Therefore, to increase the accuracy of diagnosis, additional tests are necessary: ​​

1. Biochemical blood test. In this regard, the blood test for bilirubin is especially important. With pancreatic carcinoma, its content in the blood rises sharply.
2. Palpation of the pancreas area, monitoring of the skin condition may also be an additional diagnostic moment. Some patients may have jaundice. Accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity( ascites) is also one of the signs of cancer.
3. Computer scanning( using X-rays to determine the state of the body).In this case, the pictures are processed by the computer in a detailed and qualitative image of the organs of the body, allowing to see the malignant neoplasm.
4. MRI provides a clear picture of the presence of a malignant process in the pancreas.
5. The ultrasound examination shows the doctor a qualitative image of the abdominal organs.
6. Cholangiography can detect the condition of the bile duct.
7. Cholangiopancreatography is performed using an endoscope.
8. Pancreas biopsy( a piece of organ tissue is taken for this purpose).The most widely used thin-needle biopsy, giving precise results.

So, the analysis of CA 19 9 is an accurate diagnostic measure, allowing to determine the degree of progression of malignant pancreas disease.

When performing additional diagnostic measures, the physician can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the treatment necessary in each case.